Chapter 5 of the Analects of Confucius

The Master said that Gongye Chang was a man to whom one could properly give a daughter in marriage; that although he was in chains, he had not merited any punishment. He gave him his daughter in marriage. The Master said that Nanyong, in a well-governed state, would always have an office; that in a poorly governed state, he would know how to escape punishment and capital punishment. He gave him the daughter of his brother in marriage.The Master said of Zijian: What wisdom is in this man! If the state of Lu had no sages, where would he have obtained such wisdom?Zigong asked: What do you think of me? The Master replied: You are a vessel. Zigong asked: What kind of vessel? He replied: A vessel for offerings.Someone said: Yong is virtuous but not eloquent. The Master said: What use is eloquence? Those who flatter others with fine words that come only from the lips and not the heart often become hated. I don’t know if Yong is virtuous, but what use would eloquence be to him?The Master, having urged Qidiaokai to take office, he replied: I have not yet mastered the knowledge. This pleased the Master.The Master said: My doctrine is not practiced. If I were to board a raft and float on the sea, who would follow me? Not even You. Zilu, hearing this, was greatly pleased. The Master said: You has more courage than me, but lacks the discernment to judge properly.Meng Wubo asked: Is Zilu virtuous? The Master said: I do not know. He asked again. The Master said: You is capable of leading the troops of a state with a thousand chariots. I do not know if his virtue is perfect. He asked: What do you think of Qiu? The Master said: Qiu is capable of governing a town of a thousand households or the house of a great official with a hundred chariots. I do not know if his virtue is perfect. He asked: What do you say of Chi? The Master said: Chi could stand in court dress before a prince and converse with guests and visitors. I do not know if his virtue is perfect.The Master said to Zigong: Which of you and Hui is superior? Zigong replied: How dare I compare myself to Hui? Hui, hearing one thing, understands ten. I, hearing one thing, understand two. The Master said: You are inferior to him; I agree, you are inferior to him.Zaiyu lay in bed during the day. The Master said: Rotten wood cannot be carved; a wall of dung and clay cannot be plastered. What use is it to reprimand him? Formerly, when I heard a man speak, I believed his conduct matched his words. Now, when I hear a man speak, I observe his conduct. It is Yu who has changed my judgment.The Master said: I have not yet seen a man with unyielding strength of character. Someone said: Shen Chang. The Master replied: Chang is a slave to his passions; how could he have unyielding character?Zigong said: What I do not wish others to do to me, I wish not to do to others. The Master replied: Sei, you have not yet achieved this.Zigong said: The Master’s teachings on ritual and propriety are accessible, but his teachings on human nature and the way of Heaven are not.When Zilu received a teaching, he feared receiving another until he had put the first into practice.Zigong asked why Kong Wenzi was given the title Wen after his death. The Master replied: Although he was very intelligent, he loved to be taught; he was not ashamed to ask even his inferiors. For this reason, he was given the posthumous title Wen.The Master said that Zichan practiced four virtues perfectly: deference to his equals, respect for his superiors, kindness to the people, and justice to his subjects.The Master said: Yan Pingzhong is admirable in his dealings with friends; even after long acquaintance, he treats them with respect.The Master said: Zang Wenzhong built a house for a large tortoise, decorating it with carvings of mountains on the capitals and paintings of seaweed on the beams. Can one say that he was an enlightened man?Zizhang asked: Ziwen, the prime minister of Chu, was thrice appointed prime minister and showed no joy; thrice removed from office and showed no resentment. When leaving office, he informed his successor of all his policies. What do you think of him? The Master said: He was loyal. Zizhang asked: Was he virtuous? The Master said: I do not know. How could his indifference to office be virtue? Zizhang said: Cuizi, having killed his lord, the lord of Qi, Chen Wenzi, who had ten teams of horses, abandoned his wealth and fled his homeland. Upon arriving in another state, he said: “The officers here are like our great Cuizi,” and left. In every new state, he said the same and left. What do you think of him? The Master replied: He feared the slightest stain. Zizhang asked: Was he virtuous? The Master said: I do not know. How could his fear of stain be virtue?Ji Wenzi considered things multiple times before acting. The Master, hearing this, said: Twice is enough!The Master said: Ning Wuzu, when the state was well governed, was cautious; when it was not, he was reckless. His caution can be imitated; his recklessness cannot.The Master, being in the state of Chen, said: Shall I return? Shall I return to Lu? The disciples I left in my homeland have lofty aspirations, disdain for trivial matters, and remarkable distinction. But they do not know how to regulate these good qualities.The Master said: Boyi and Shuqi forgot the faults of others; thus, they had few enemies.The Master said: Who could still praise the integrity of Weisheng Gao? Someone asked him for vinegar, and he himself asked a neighbor for it to give him.The Master said: To use refined language, take an overly formal demeanor, and show excessive deference—Zuo Qiuming would be ashamed of this; I too would be ashamed. To hate a man in one’s heart and treat him friendly—Zuo Qiuming would be ashamed of this; I too would be ashamed.The Master said to Yan Yuan and Zilu, who attended him: Why not tell me each what your aspirations are? Zilu said: I wish to share my carriages, horses, and fine furs with friends, and not be displeased if they damage them. Yan Yuan said: I wish not to boast of my good qualities or exaggerate my services. Zilu said: Master, I would be happy to hear your aspirations. The Master said: To abundantly provide for the needs of the elderly, to be trusted by friends, and to nurture the young with affection.The Master said: Must we despair of seeing a man who acknowledges his faults and secretly reproaches himself? I have not yet seen one.The Master said: In a village of ten families, there must be men of loyal and sincere disposition like me, but none who strive to know and practice these virtues as I do.